I made johnnycakes for breakfast this morning--a common move for me if I forgot or was too lazy to start sourdough waffles the night before. I know I mentioned this some time ago, but I'm still astounded at the increase in flavor after I started adding a portion of stone-ground whole grain medium grind cornmeal to the mix.

There's really no comparison to run-of-the-mill cornmeal. (Now there's an interesting question: the phrase, "run-of-the-mill." I know the definition, but what does it really mean?)

I've tried the whole grain meal in cornbread, too, with similar results. Just adding a cup or less does the trick.

Larry Greenly wrote:I made johnnycakes for breakfast this morning--a common move for me if I forgot or was too lazy to start sourdough waffles the night before. I know I mentioned this some time ago, but I'm still astounded at the increase in flavor after I started adding a portion of stone-ground whole grain medium grind cornmeal to the mix.

There's really no comparison to run-of-the-mill cornmeal. (Now there's an interesting question: the phrase, "run-of-the-mill." I know the definition, but what does it really mean?)

I've tried the whole grain meal in cornbread, too, with similar results. Just adding a cup or less does the trick.

I'm not that much into baking, so I'm not ashamed to admit using mixes. Often with chili I like to make corn bread and use the Jiffy (R) brand mix. However, I like to substitute some of the liquid ingredients with a can of creamed corn (it's the only thing I use creamed corn for). Then I spoon the batter on top of the chili and bake it.

And, Howie, the Better Homes & Garden Cookbook recipe for cornbread is the best and easiest I've ever used. And it doesn't take much longer than pouring a mix out of a box. The longest part is that I have to walk down some stairs to get my cornmeal.

What is your recipe for johnnycakes? I bought johnnycake "mix" at a small country store in Rhode Island a few months back, and I made some this weekend. I'm not 100% sure that I made them correctly, as I am not sure I have ever had a proper one to compare. What I got was not entirely unlike a grilled polenta cake.

It turns out the mix was just ground flint cornmeal, and the intructions mainly involed a little water and some butter. That said, the meal itself was amazing quality, so I was very happy to eat my grilled polenta! With lesser materials, this would not have worked at all.

If you haven't seen their products, seek out anything from Anson Mills:

They are making super quality polenta, grits, masa and more from heirloom corn. It isn't cheap, and the cooking is old-school (grits take about 3 hours), but you will never look at the products the same way again. I use the grits anywhere soft polenta would work and people are amazed.